Title: Servitisation and technological complexity in family and non-family firms: European evidence

Authors: Pilar Marques; Andrea Bikfalvi; Alexandra Simon; Josep Llach; Christian Lerch

Addresses: Department of Business Organization, Universitat de Girona, M. Aurelia Capmany 61, E17071 Girona, Spain ' Department of Business Organization, Universitat de Girona, M. Aurelia Capmany 61, E17071 Girona, Spain ' Edifici B - Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Business Organization, Universitat de Girona, M. Aurelia Capmany 61, E17071 Girona, Spain ' Competence Center Industrial and Service Innovations, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Breslauer Strasse 48, D76139 Karlsruhe, Germany

Abstract: Servitisation is an emerging topic in practice and in the academy. In this paper, we address the influence of family ownership on servitisation strategy, using data collected through the European manufacturing survey, an international large-scale survey on trends in manufacturing. We approach our hypotheses through the lens of the Socio-Emotional Wealth (SEW), considering the characteristics of family firms and the rationales for servitisation. This paper provides evidence of the important role of technological factors in understanding the particular behaviour of family firms and provides empirical support for the rationales behind the SEW approach.

Keywords: family business; family firms; services; servitisation; SEW; socio-emotional wealth; manufacturing industry; Europe; technological complexity; non-family firms; family ownership.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2015.067855

European Journal of International Management, 2015 Vol.9 No.2, pp.221 - 239

Received: 30 Sep 2013
Accepted: 26 Aug 2014
Published online: 06 Mar 2015 *

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